Packaging



July 4. 1939. D'. H. EDWARDS Y2-,164,505

Y PACKAGING Filed April 5, 19:57

,@OO u1 INVENToR. 'aw'dfdrrards BY i v YSZ;

Patented July 4, 1939 PACKAGING David H. Edwards, Kenmore, N. Y., assignor to E. I. du Pont` de Nemours & Company, Wil'- mington, DeL-acorporation of Delaware Application Alfrn 5, 1931, serial Nc. 135,064 y 4 Claims.

This invention relates to the packaging of materials in the wet state. More particularly, it 'relates to the packaging of cellulosic structures in the gel state.

Hollow lpellicular .structures in the form of i bands or caps designedas secondary closures for bottles-are produced in a highly hydrated gel state which, upon drying and subsequent loss of moisture, will shrink considerably,forming a tight skin upon the neck of the bottle and the cap or cork used as a primary closure, which skin conforms closely to the contour of the surface lto which it is applied. These pellicular structures,

` from the time that they are manufactured to the time that they are appliedl to bottles, must be prevented from drying out and losing their moisture content. Prior to this invention, it was the practice of the manufacturers of such pellicles to store and to ship said pellicles immersed in a suitable solution in a liquid tight container. This solution contained generally a softener such as s glycerol in a suitable concentration to give the pellicular structures immersed therein the necessary characteristics of pliability and shrinkage. In addition, certain preservatives andmold inhibitors were incorporated in the solution. Such solutions were relatively expensive and large quantities were disposed of by the customer after the caps or bands had been used. Furthermore, a relatively large amount of solution was required to protect the bands in transit and therefore entailed an excessive freight charge upon thepackage.

In order to economize upon the use of solution and reduce shipping charges, it has been suggested to thoroughly impregnate the pellicular structures with a suitable solution and then drain off the excess liquor. The structures, thus drained, are then placed in large containers with a volume of about 3/4 of a cubic foot and hermetically sealed. This method is enhanced by the use of a rubber lining within the container. In many cases, however, particularly where long periods of time have elapsed, users have experienced great difiiculty in handling the pellicles.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a means for the shipment andfstorage of material in wet condition.

It is a further object of -thisinvention to provide means for the shipment and storageof pellicular structures in the vgel state.

It is a still further object to provide amethoii` for the storage of' such structures over an indefinite period ofA time without any impairment in ease and convenience oi! handling.

' It is a still'further object to maintain a lin of liquid on stored pellicles over long periods of time.

Still another object is the'provisi'on of such .shipping and storage facilities without the use of a large excess of liquid.. vA still further object is the production 4of a packageof such structures containing units which shall be conveniently handled.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

In general, these objects are accomplished by providing shallow, waterproof trays for each layer of suchstructures, which structures are packed in a vertical position so that one edge is in contact with the floor of the tray, and providing a hermetically sealed container for' 'a stack of such trays.

Figure l is a partly sectional elevation of a packed metal container. Figure `2 is a partly sectional elevation of a tray and its contents. y

When gel pelliclesn are stored for a period much longer than two or three days (and this is often necessitated by the operational schedule of the consumer), it is-found that the film of moisture adhering to the surface of the structures has a tendency to drain off from the material in the upper portion of the package although there is no actual drying or loss of moisture from the gel structure. The loss of the lm of liquid from the surface has been found to be a very serious -and to require such a lengthy time'of manipulation as to make their use impracticable in the bottling operation of the consumer. When, on the other hand, the surface is provided with a film of liquid, these articles are very readily manipulated on to the'bottles or other containers on which they serve as secondary closures. It is impracticable to again wet the structures, once they have lost this lm of liquid. In the first place, pure Water cannot be used for the wetting since it would remove part of the softener and the' preservative which is essential, andsecondly, liquid could not be' made topenetrate the inner surfaces without manipulation. l

Referring now to the drawing, Figure 1 depicts a preferred embodiment of the invention. In this figure, lis a cylindrical, straight walled, metal container which has as a liner a rubber bag 5. Within the rubber bag is aseries of trays 6,' each packed with band structures 1 arranged in a vertial position s that one open edge is in contact with the oor of the tray. The construction of the tray itself and its contents is shown more clearly in Figure 2. Trays may be packed outside of the container and then inserted, or a tray may be introduced into the container and then packed with bands in a given, orderly arrangement, other trays being introduced and packed until the container is lled. As each tray is packed, a small amount of solution is added if necessary to insure the presence of a thin layer 8, perhaps 1/8" deep in the bottom of the tray. The addition of .solution may not be necessary if the bands being packed into the trays are in a dripping condition. It is only essential that an excess of liquid be present in contact with the bands and it is unimportant whether it be originally associated with the bands or later added.

When the container is completely packed, the top of the rubber liner, when one is used, is folded over and closed -by means of a rubber band 9 or other suitable device and a lid attached to the metal container, giving both protection to the contents and a hermetical seal to the container. The trays or separators used in this package perform a dual function: drstly, they preserve ,the orderly arrangement of bands in the package during handling and unpacking, serving also as a convenient means for removing andhandling small units or groups of bands; secondly, because Aof their Waterproof nature, they prevent the draining away of solutions from the upper layers of bands, thus maintaining a small amount oi.' liquid associated with each layer of bands. Where these pellicular structures are to be stored for a relatively long period of time, it is necessary .that the trays be made of highly waterproof material which is unaffected by the particular solution employed. Traysmade of a stii! paper impregnated with linseed oil are highly satisfactory in this connection and quite inexpensive.

It is not necessary that the walls of the trays have a depth as great as the length of bands being packed. It is only necessary that this depth be equal to or greater than the depth of liquid which it is desired to keep in contact with the bands. It is preferable, of course, that the depth of tray be in excess of the depth of liquid desired, so that tilting of the container will not cause an undue discharge of liquid from the upper trays to the lower. A depth of 1'?, for example, operates satisfactorily and is applicable to a variety of band sizes.

It is necessary that the container be hermetically sealed and provide sum'cient protection for the contents. `Where amoistureproof liner, such as of rubber, is used, it is not necessary that the container also be moistureproof or prevent the escape of vapor, and it may in this case consist of a paper carton of well known form and construction. Where the container is of metal or other moistureproof material, the liner may be omitted.

The container may be of any material or construction possessing suitable structural strength and a high degree o f moistureproofness. It may consist of two or more elements giving these characteristics in combination such as a sti,

supporting member with a moistureproof lining,

or the container walls may be coated or impregnated to give moistureproofness anda suitable mistureproof closure provided. The trays maybe molded, stamped or otherwise shaped from paper products suitably impregnated or coated, from sheet metals, from plastics, or in fact from any material which is suitably resistant vto solutions and waterproof.

The solution used may contain glycerol or other hygroscopic substance, preservatives, or in fact be o1' any type suitable for maintaining the bands in proper condition for application as secondary closures.

While the linvention has been described in terms of a hermetically sealed container employing trays, it is also contemplated to substitute for the trays water-tight compartments or pockets, each holding a single layer of vertically stacked bands so that the container as a' whole will not have to be maintained in a given vertical position in order to maintain a given amount of solution associated with each group of bands.

This type of package may be used for the storage and shipment of shrinkable bottle bands and bottle caps or other pellicular structures of. regenerated cellulose, cellulose gelatin, casein and the like.

By the use of this invention, certain economies 4 are eected inthe storage and shipment of hydrated, cellulosic structures and certain outstanding advantages over previous packaging are obtained. It is possible by means of this invention to greatly reduce the amount of liquid required inthe package which results not only in a saving of the cost ot the solution, but makes possible the use o'f a lighter container of less sturdy construction. Such containers are more readily handled at a saving of both cost and labor.

These pellicular .structures are customarily packed in a relative position and grouping which facilitates their subsequent application as bottle closures and this arrangement in the container must be maintained throughout the ordinary hazards of shipping and handling the packageand also during the removal of the contents. This is greatly facilitated by the trays which serve to support and hold the structures in position. Furthermore, if it be desired to send out a container which is not completely filled with bands," the remaining space in the container may be iiiled with one or more trays which prevent the bands present from becoming. disar'anged.

In previousl practice it has been foundL necessary, upon illling a can with bands which are to be completely immersed in solution, to leavea certain dead space at the top of the can which amounts to about 10% of the total volume so that solution may be added and allowed slowly to trickle down through the bands. By the use of the process of the proposed invention, this dead space is no longer required and the eiective capacity of the container is thereby increased.

If the removal of the bands from the container extends over a considerable period of time, the bands of the lower layers are protected from drying out by the traysA acting as separators during the period that the upper layers of bands are removed.

Where the expression hollow pellicles" is used in the speciication and/or claims. it is intended to be generic to bands, and to other similar hollow bodies.

Since it is obvious that many changes and modi'cations of the invention can be made within the nature and spirit thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereto except as set forth in the appended claims.

. I claim:

' 1. A package comprising a moistureproof'container and a plurality of superimposed at botesters or ethers,

tomed trays therein, seid trays containing houow group consisting of regenerated cellulose, cellushrlnkable hydrated gel pellicles and a meisten# lose esters, cellulose ethers, gelatin and casein.

ing solution therefor, said moistening solution 3. The package of claim 1 when the pellicles containing a. softner for the pellicle, the said are from the group consisting of regenerated 5 pellicles being partiallyimmersed in said solucellulose, cellulose ters, cellulose ethers, gela- 5 tion and upright with a bottom portion resting tin and casein, and when the pellicles project on the tray. bottom whereby said pellicles are above ther-lmof the tray.

kept in an unimpelred moist gel condition. A 4. me package of claim 1 whenthe pellicles 2. The package of, claim 1 when the moistureere regenerated cellulose and the sotner solu- 10 proof container is a. rubber bag which is enclosed tion contains glycerin.

in an outer casing andthe pellicles are from the VDAVID H. EDWARDS. 

